"Honey, let's meet at the pink sea in Doldam Village after work on Tuesday~"
A playful tug-of-war between the blue-green sea and a rising tide of pink has begun in Donghae, a hub city in the southeastern corner of Gangwon Province.
As the summer heat begins to ease, cosmos flowers — harbingers of autumn — have started blooming across a 10,000-square-meter stretch of coastline in Bugok-dong's Doldam Village, sending pink waves rippling through the air. Before long, red dragonflies — the cosmos flower's natural dance partners — are expected to arrive and deepen the season's lyrical mood.
The sprawling cosmos field, set against the sea and a coastal forest, is creating a new landscape at the tail end of summer that hints at the autumn to come.
The site was originally created to dispose of dredged soil from Mukho Port. What was once known by the bleak designation of Mukho Port's No. 2 dredged-soil disposal site has been transformed into a sea of cosmos that soothes visitors worn down by the summer heat.
Rather than leaving idle port land unused, Donghae has planted seasonal flower fields on the site, turning it into a scenic space where residents and visitors can enjoy the sea up close.
The coastal forest area of Doldam Village, adjacent to the cosmos field, serves as a walking and rest area for local residents.
Early in the morning, visitors can encounter people strolling or walking barefoot while gazing out at the sea. With the flower field now in bloom, the walking paths have gained a seasonal dimension as well.
Donghae already has many popular spots for so-called "run trips" — travel centered on walking and running — and the area around the Doldam Village cosmos field is well positioned to become a go-to walking destination for younger travelers.
This year, the city planted barley in spring, followed by coreopsis and poppies, showcasing a succession of seasonal blooms through late spring and early summer. The cosmos now in flower adds yet another seasonal chapter, bridging summer and autumn.
The city plans to continue developing idle spaces, including dredged-soil sites, into seasonal landscape areas, and to connect them with the surrounding coastal forest and walking paths to create waterfront spaces where residents can walk, rest and enjoy the sea throughout the year.
Jung In-hwa, head of the city's green spaces division, said the project has brought new seasonal scenery to idle port land while giving residents who visit the nearby coastal forest a place to walk and unwind. "We will continue to tend these spaces so that residents and visitors can experience the sea and the changing of the seasons up close," he said.
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